Numbering machine



W. FAAS NUMBERING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1939 May 13, 1941.

INVENTCR Walter Fans BY- ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1941 NUMBERING MACHINE Walter Faas, South Orange, N. 1., assig-nor to The Bates Manufacturing Company, West. Orange, N. J a. corporation of New Jersey Application-February 15, 1939, Serial No. 256;496?

4 Claims.

This invention relates to numbering machines and more particularly to typographic numbering machines. Such machines are commonly usedby printers in the production of consecutively num bered forms. It is common practice to lock up such numbering machines with other type used to print a form. The numbering machine contains an actuating plunger which upon each stroke of the printing press operates to advance a type wheel or wheels of the. numbering machine in readiness to print the next desired number.

It is well known that when a number of identical forms are printed on a single page and are to be consecutively numbered, it is necessary to use several numbering machines each containing skip wheels in place of consecutively num bered units type wheels. For instance if three copies of a form are printed on a single page, the top form on successive pages will be numbered 1, 4, 7, etc. It is therefore necessary to use in place of a consecutively numbered units typewheel, a type wheel which has this rotation of numbers upon it. The need for and the use of such skip wheels is Well known in the art.

The rotation of numbers upon the face of the skip wheel will vary depending upon the number of forms which are printed at a single stroke of the printing press. Since this number varies widely in normal printing operations, the printer must have on hand a large number of numbering machines with different skip wheels, or he must be prepared to change the units wheel on such machines as he has to fit the requirements of each particular job.

The changing of skip wheels is much to be preferred since it avoids a large investment on the part of the printer in numbering machines. However since printers in general have little experience in the assembly and manipulation of complex mechanical structures, the changing of skip wheels has been found tobe a considerable hardship in many numbering machines used heretofore. It is obvious that making the removal of a skip wheel simple renders the design of the numbering machine desirable.

However any design in which the easy removal of a skip wheel is accompanied by a sacrifice in the strength of the numbering machine is undesirable. These machines are subjected to very considerable stresses in the printing operation and any weakening of their structure tends to make them troublesome and to shorten their lives very materially.

While in normal printing practice, it is fre quently necessary to remove the skip wheel, it is also necessary to remove the other wheels of thenumbering machine occasionallysincethey tend to become clogged with-ink and lint accumulated during the process of printing. In an ideal. machine thereforeit should be possible. to removeall of the Wheels for cleaning insuch a way that. no great mechanical skill is required to-reassem- Me the numbering machine.

The actuation of such a numbering machine to advance a type wheel on Wheels upon each stroke of the printing pressis usually accomplished by means of a reciprocating. plunger which forms a part of the numbering machine. This plunger usually carries the type face N 0. on its outer end which stands above the faces of the type wheels inthe non-operated position of theplunger; Asthet-ype form approaches the surface to be printed, this plunger face strikes first. Further movement of the type form toward the surface depresses the plunger until the type wheels and other type inthe form contact with the-paper. This depression of the numberingmachine plunger stores energy in a spring which energy is usedtoadvance a typewheel or Wheels of the numberingmachineas the type moves away from the printed sheet on the reverse stroke of the printing press. The upstanding plunger of the numbering machine may render the inking of the type somewhat difficult. It is therefore obvious that itso-perating stroke, that is the height which it projects above the type faces, should be as small as possible.

It is a principal object ofmy invention to provide a numbering machine in which the units type wheel may be readily'removedand replaced by persons unskilled in the hand-ling of such mechanisms.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a machine in which all of the type wheels may be removed and replaced without the exercise of unusual mechanical skill. It is another object of my invention to provide a numbering machine with easily'removable type wheels in which the strength of the machine is not reduced by the structure required for such easy removability.

It is still another object of my invention to provide such a machine having a minimum plunger stroke.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a machine of the type suggested which is simple in structure and easy to manufacture.

It is a further general object of my invention to provide a greatly improved and simplified typographic numbering machine.

Further objects and features of my invention will appear in the following description and appended claims.

For a clearer understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1. a

Figure 3 is an elevation of the end of the machine opposite that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure '6 is a top plan view of the complete frame of the machine with all of the mechanism thereof removed with the exception of the main shaft.

. Figure 7 is an elevational view of one of the type wheels of this embodiment.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the type wheel shown in Figure '7 along with a broken-away portion of the shaft on which it is mounted. In order to render-the numbering machine strong, it is desirable to have a strong frame. This is accomplished in the illustrated embodiment by providing a unitary main frame I comprising an end wall la, a center wall lb and two outwardly extending side walls la. The space bounded by the side walls lo and the center wall lb is closed by an L-shaped bracket 2 which is held in place by suitable screws 3. This frame, while easy to manufacture, is extremely strong and at the same time provides easy accessibility to the various parts of the machine.

The structure of the frame divides the space contained therein into two compartments one of which is adapted to receive a bank of type wheels, 1, 8, 9, l0, and ll, while the other is adapted to receive an actuating plunger 24. Preferably the type wheels are provided with drop ciphers as shown at 80., Figures 7 and 8. The use of and need for this construction is well known in the art. By it the imprinting of unnecessary ciphers in 'front of significant figures is avoided.

The type wheels are mounted for free rotation on a shaft 4 which passes throughsuitable supporting bearings in'the end wall la and center wall lb of the main frame and also has a bearing 6 in the L-shaped bracket 2 forming the other end of the frame. Such a shaft customarily has a slot cut in it beneath the type wheels to receive the bottom portion of the drop cipher slides or elements such as 801.. It is therefore necessary to provide some means to prevent the shaft from rotating so that the slot will be maintained in proper angular position to permit the drop cipher slides to be received at the proper point. In my invention, I propose to render the shaft easier to manufacture and at the same time provide for easy removal of at least the units wheel by providing the shaft 4 with a slot 5 extending the entire length of the shaft and coacting with a projection or key 6a. forming part of the shaft bearing 6 in end bracket 2.

Thus the fabrication of a shaft involves only its cutting off to proper length from a preformed rod having a continuous slot of proper dimensions. This effects a considerable simplification in manufacture compared tothe shafts used in conventional machines which require a number of separate machining operations on each individual shaft. But even more important, it makes possible the quick and easy removal of the units type wheel since the shaft may be simply pushed out of the frame through the end bracket 2 sufficiently to clear the units type wheel without disturbing any of the other type wheels and Without disturbing any of the other mechanism of the machine. Thus the changing of the units type wheel, the necessity for which arises frequently as explained hereinbefo-re, can be accomplished very easily by unskilled persons. No

' means is shown for retaining the shaft in proper axial position in the complete machine since axial movement is generally prevented by reason v of the locking in of the numbering machine in a type form. However if it is desired positively to prevent such axial shifting of the shaft, it is obvious that a set screw could be provided in one of the walls of the frame to be tightened against the shaft.

With the construction shown, it is possible to remove more than the units type wheel if that is desired as for cleaning or other reasons. It is necessary only to push the shaft further out through the end bracket 2 to release as many of the wheels as desired. However if all of the type Wheels are removed from the frame at once, the operating mechanism for the type wheels which comprises suitable spring-pressed pawls, Will become displaced and thus render the reassembly of the type wheels difficu-lt for those not experienced in the handling of such mechanisms. This situation is also avoided by the structure described above. For instance, if it is desired to remove all of the type wheels for cleaning, the shaft 4 may be pushed out through the bracket 2 as described until the first three type wheels are clear. These three wheels may then be removed, the two remaining wheels then holding the actuating mechanism in place. When these wheels have been cleaned, they may be replaced in proper position and the shaft 4 pushed through the frame in the opposite direction and beyond end wall la. It may be pushed sufiiciently far in this direction to clear the two remaining type wheels which were not previously removed so that these may now in turn be removed and cleaned. When the cleaning is completed, the wheels may be replaced without difficulty since the actuating mechanism has been held in place by the other three wheels which remained in the machine. I have thus provided for the simple and easy removal of all of the type wheels of the machine without disturbing the actuating mechanism thereof. A similar result could obviously be obtained by employing a shaft which had a groove extending from its plunger end only as far as the opposite end of the bank of type Wheels. However, I prefer the embodiment described above because of the greater simplicity of manufacture.

In order to actuate the advancing movement of the type wheels of the numbering machine, the plunger 24, carrying the indication No. on its top surface and normally extending above the printing surface of the type wheel, is provided. This plunger is of substantially rectangular crosssection and is guided for reciprocating movement by the side walls lo, the center wall lb, and the end bracket 2 of the frame. A pair of springs 25 retained in suitable apertures 26a in the plunger and pressing against the lower portion of the bracket 2 are provided to urge the plunger outwardly. In order to permit the shaft 4 to pass through the plunger, a suitable oval aperture 24a is provided therein. This provides a stop to prevent the plunger from moving further outwardly than is required, since the bottom wall portion of the aperture. 2 a is designed to strike the shaft 4* when the plunger is-in its outermost position.

The mechanism for advancing the type wheels is of an entirely conventional type and will therefore not be described in detail. It comprises a U-shaped bail i=3 rotatably mounted on the shaft 4 and carrying a. spring-pressed step pawl 12. Suitable ratchet wheels are carried on the type wheels for coaction with the step pawl, deep notches being provided in the ratchet wheels at the proper position to permit two or more type wheels to be advanced simultaneously as is well known in the art. A series of spring-pressed detent levers l4 mounted on a shaft I5 is also provided to prevent overthrowing by coaction with the ratchet wheels. In certain numbering machines used in the past and having a similar type wheel structure to that described herein, a direct connection has been provided between the plunger and the bail to rock the bail with each reciprocating motion of the plunger and thus to advance the type wheels. It is necessary of course to advance the type wheel or wheels by 36 degrees for each stroke of the plunger so that the bail should preferably have a rotary motion just slightly in excess of this amount. If the bail is driven directly by the plunger, either the driving connection must be located very close to the center of the type wheel shaft or the stroke of the plunger must be made rather long. If the plunger stroke is long, the plunger must extend beyond the type faces by a considerable amount in its non-operated position. This may result in improper inking of the type surfaces close to the plunger and in the destruction of the soft pad which is used to carry the ink. In the embodiment of my invention described hereinbefore, the heavy shaft employed to render the machine strong makes it impossible to locate the driving point close to the center of the shaft. While my invention is valuable for such directly driven machines provided the long plunger stroke is not objectionable, I prefer to provide a mechanism by which a step-up ratio may be obtained between the actual movement of the plunger and the movement of the driven point on the bail. Such means in the form of simple motion increasing levers have been used in the art before but in general only in numbering machines in which the type wheel shafts do not enter the plunger compartment. In such machines, it is simple to provide a short lever which is driven by the plunger at a point close to its pivot and which in turn has a driving connection to the bail at a point further removed from its pivot.

The driving connection to the bail therefore moves a greater distance than the actual plunger stroke depending upon the ratio of the distances of the driving and driven points from the pivot of the lever.

In the embodiment of my invention described above, the large shaft passing entirely through the plunger compartment of the machine pre- This pin engages a slot IS in the bail I3 in order to drive the bail. A movable fulcrum for thelever 20 is also provided by a slot 23 therein arranged to coact, with a pin [9 in. the center wall lb. Directly beneath the shaft 4 of the lever 29 is provided with asuitable hole for receiving a pin 25 secured in the plunger 25. It will now be seen that as the plunger is moved downwardly the pin 25 depresses the lever Zil and rotates it about the pin I9 thus giving an increased motion to the pin 2| which in turn actuates the bail. I thusobtain a considerable reduction in the stroke of the plunger required to actuate the bail and thereby limit the height above the type wheel faces to which the plunger face must be permitted to rise. In order to prevent interference between the driving end of the lever 20 and the adjacent side wall lc of the frame, the side wall may have a suitable aperture l8.

It will be seen that by the structure described above, I have accomplished the desired results without complex mechanism and without any sacrifice in strength of any of the parts of the machine. Moreover all parts required can be manufactured simply and easily. While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that the principles thereof could be applied in other ways without departure from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a numbering machine having a bank of type wheels comprising drop cipher elements, an actuating plunger disposed axially of said wheels, and a frame enclosing said wheels and plunger: a key on said frame, and a type wheel support shaft supported in said frame and passing through an aperture in said plunger, said shaft having a slot underlying said type Wheels and extending beyond them and being adapted both to receive bottom projections of said drop cipher elements and to coact with said key to prevent improper rotary orientation while permitting free longitudinal movement of said shaft whereby to clear a desired plurality of type wheels for easy removal thereof.

2. In a numbering machine having a bank of type wheels comprising drop cipher elements, an actuating plunger disposed axially of said wheels, and a frame embracing said wheels and plunger: 21. type wheel support shaft in said frame passing through an aperture in said plunger and having a slot normally underlying the type wheels and extending beyond them toward the plunger end of the shaft, said slot being adapted to receive bottom projections of the drop cipher elements, and a key on the frame located on the plunger side of said type wheels and adapted to coact with said same slot to retain the shaft against improper rotary orientation while permitting free longitudinal movement of said shaft in either direction from its normal position.

3. In a numbering machine having a bank of type wheels comprising drop cipher elements, an actuating plunger disposed axially of said wheels, and a frame embracing said wheels and plunger: 2. type wheel support shaft carried in said frame and passing through an aperture in said plunger, said shaft having a slot extending throughout its length, adapted to receive bottom projections of the drop cipher elements, and a key on the frame, adapted to coact with said same slot to retain the shaft against improper rotary orientation while permitting unrestricted longitudinal movement of said shaft in either direction from its normal position.

4. In a numbering machine having a bank of ratchet and type wheels comprising drop cipher elements, a reciprocating plunger disposed axially of said wheels, type wheel advancing means ac tuated by said plunger and comprising a set of pawls biased toward said wheels, and a frame embracing said wheels and plunger: a type wheel support shaft carried in said frame and having a slot extending throughout its length adapted to receive bottom projections of the drop cipher 10 

